Coin separators



Feb. 4, 1958 M. P. HAVERSTICK COIN SEPARATORS Filed May 29. 1952 United States Patent ice COIN SEPARATORS Merral P. Haverstick, Overland, Mo., assignor to National Re e ctorS, Inc., St. Louis, him, a corporation of Missoun Application May 29, 1952, Serial No. 290,688

2 Claims. ((31. 194-401) This invention relates to improvements in coin separators. More particularly this invention relates to improvements in coin separators which can separate coins that have teeth or serrations at their peripheries.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved coin separator which can separate coins that have teeth or serrations at their peripheries.

During recent years, increasing numbers of coin-open ated vending machines have been made and used. Many of those machines can respond to various combinations of coins to vend different products. In doing so, those machines eliminate needless handling of the products and reduce the time required for each sale. In most installations, these coin-operated vending machines are eminently satisfactory. In a few isolated installations, however, persons attempt to, and sometimes succeed in being able to, operate the machines with spurious coins or tokens. It has been found that the greater the value of the products being vended the greater the temptation to use spurious coins or tokens.

At present, most coin-operated vending machines are intended to respond to the coinage currently .in use. It has been found that the value of the products to be vended by coin-operated vending machines is largely limited by the value of coins in general circulation, and by the total number of such coins that must be inserted in a coin-operated vending machine to secure the vending of a particular product. For example, While a potential customer of coin-operated vending machines can be expected to insert as many as four or five coins in a machine to secure the vending of a particular product, that customer could not reasonably be expected to insert as many as twenty or thirty coins to secure the vending of a particular product. Since pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are the coins which are in widest circulation in this country today, and since a potential customer of coin-operated vending machines cannot be expected to insert an unlimited number of coins in a machine, the commercially feasible top limit on the value of products dispensed by coin-operated vending machines is less than two dollars. As a result, many higher priced products which might otherwise be vended by coin-operated vending machines cannot beso vended. This is objectionable since it reduces the areas of business open to the coin-operated vending industry. The present invention obviates this objection by providing a coin which is different from coins in general circulation, which is separable from such coins, and which can be given a value in excess of the value of such coins. Such -a coin will enable the coin-operated vending industry to enter new and wider areas of business. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coin which is different from coins in general circulation, which is separable from such coins, and which can be given a value in excess of the value of such coins.

The greater val-ue'of such a coin will-increase the temptation to make spurious coins that will'largely resemble such coin. Accordingly,-it will-be necessary to equip any coin-operated vending machines, intended 'toreceive and 21,822,075, Patented Feb. 4, 1958 respond to such a coin, with a coin separator of extremely high efficiency. That coin separator must be even more discriminating thanare the coin separators now in use.

The coin provided 'by the present invention has a predetermined number of teeth or serrations at its periphery, those teeth or'serrations are of .a predetermined siz e and configuration, the coin'has a predetermined overalldiameter, it has a predetermined electrical conductivity, it has a predetermined thickness, and it has a predetermined weight. The coin separatonprovided.by the present-invention is able to test coins for weight, diameter, peripheral configuration, thickness, and electrical conductivity, and thus it can to a high degree discriminate between true and spurious coins.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention should become apparent-from anexamination ofthe drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying descriptiona preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the. purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a coin separator that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings-of the present invention,

.Fig. 2 is a partially broken-away cross-sectional end view of the coin separator of Fig. 1, and it is taken along the plane defined by the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partially broken-away bottomcross-sectional view of the coin separator of=Fig.. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 3-- 3 in 1, and

Fig. 4 is .a cross-sectional front view of the coin separator of Fig. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated-by the line 44 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 10,2generally denotes the frame of a coin separator which is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. The frameIO-hasa vertically-directed wall 11, and that wall has a pivot bracket fixedly secured to it. The 'bracket80 has an ear 12 projecting outwardly from one side thereof, and that ear has an opening therethrough which supports one end of a pivot ,pin 14. The other end .of that pivot pin extends intoand is held by an opening in a flange at the right hand side of the frame 10. The pivot ,pin 14 is thus spaced outwardly from the wall of the frame 10. A movable wal1,16 of generally trapezoidal configuration hasoutwardlyprojecting ears 18 .at the opposite edges thereof. These ears have openings therethrough which telescope overthe pivot pin 14. The ear 12, the ears 18, and the pivot pin114enable the wall 16 to pivot relative to the frame 10. The extent of the pivoting of the wall. 16 around thepivot14 is limited, because the upper end of the wall 1'6 quick ly strikes the frame. 10 as the wall 16 rotates about the pivot 14. However, the lower end of thewall 16 can. move away from the frame 10 a distance whichis several times the thicknessof a coin to be received by, the coin separator. A projection 19 is providedyatthe left hand edge of the movable wall 16, and that projection extends .rearwardly from the wall 16. This projection coacts with the flange at the right hand edge of the frame 10 to constitutea gauge for the diameter of coins inserted in the coinseparator. Coins which have a diameter greater than the distance between the projection 19 and saidflange will be unable to pass between that flange and the projection. .A spring 20 is wound about the .pivot 14. andhas one end bearing against the movable wall 16 and has'its other end bearing against the framev 10. This spring biases the lower end of the movable wall 16 toward the frame ltl, but it can yield to permit that end of the movable wall to move away from the frame :10.

A runway 22 is secured to the lower end of the movable wall 16 by screws 24. This runway will move with the wall 16 whenever that wall moves relative to the frame 10. The upper surface of the runway 22 has serra tions or teeth, and those serrations or teeth are regular in configuration.

An elongated spring 26 is secured to the gate by a rivet 30. The lower end of the spring 26 is in register with an opening 29 in the movable wall 16. The lower end of the spring 26 carries a feeler pin 28 which extends through the opening 29 in the movable wall 16. The normal position of the feeler pin 28 is shown in Figure 2 and in that position it has its inner end extending inwardly beyond the inner surface of the wall 16. However, feeler pin 28 'can be forced outwardly by authentic coins passing through the coin separator, and the elongated spring 26 will yield to permit such outward movement of the pin 28.

A permanent magnet 32 is mounted on the frame at a point to the left and somewhat above the runway 22. This permanent magnet is spaced from the frame 10 to define a narrow passageway for coins which roll along the runway 22. This permanent magnet will create a magnetic flux that will extend through the said passageway and into the frame 10.

A transversely directed wall 34 is secured to the frame 10 adjacent the bottom of that frame, and that wall has an inclined bend 36 therein. This inclined bend enables the left hand portion of the wall to be disposed closely adjacent to frame 10 while the right hand portion of the wall, which is spaced outwardly from the plane of the left hand portion of the wall, will be spaced from the frame 10 a considerable distance. The right hand portion of the wall 34 defines a rejected coin chute which underlies the areas subtended by the wall 16, as it moves outwardly and away from the frame 10.

A divider is disposed between the left hand portion of the wall 34 and the frame 10, and that divider has a stationary part 38 and a movable part 40. The stationary part 38 of the divider has downwardly inclined portions at its left and right hand sides, and the movable part 40 of the divider is disposed above the point at which those inclined portions would join if they were continued to a junction. The movable part 40 of the divider is mounted on a pivot 42 which is secured to the left hand portion of the wall 34, as by being secured to a bracket 44 which in turn is secured to the wall 34 by the screw 46. The movable part 40 of the divider can move downwardly when it is struck by a coin, thereby absorbing enough of the kinetic energy of the coin to kill the bounce. Screws 48 extend through the wall 34 and through the stationary part 38 of the divider and into the frame 10. These screws hold the wall 34, the stationary part 38 of the divider, and the frame 10 in assembled relation. The left hand end of the stationary part 38 of the divider is spaced from the left hand edge of the frame 10 to define an accepted coin chute 50, and the right hand edge of the stationary part 38 of the divider is spaced from the right hand edge of the frame 10 to define a rejected coin chute. Coins moving to the left of the divider will be directed to the accepted coin chute 50 while coins moving to the right of the divider will be directed to the rejected coin chute 52. The movable part 40 is shown in the position it assumes when struck by a coin.

A generally rectangular opening 54 is provided in the frame 10 immediately adjacent the runway 22. The upper edge of the runway is immediately adjacent the lower edge of the opening 54. The upper edge of the opening 54 is spaced above the runway 22 a distance less than the diameter of coins which are to be accepted by the coin separator but a distance greater than the diameter of spurious coins which have too small a diameter. As indicated in Fig. 1 by dotted lines, the opening 54 is in register with the opening 29 in the movable wall 16 and with the feeler pin 28.

A pivot 56 is secured to the frame 10 above the opening 54. A scavenging lever 58 is secured to the pivot 56 and will rotate about that pivot. A spring 60 encircles the pivot 56 and has its right hand end bearing against the scavenging lever 58. The left hand end of the spring is held by the screw 62 that extends through the mounting plate 33 for the permanent magnet 32 and into the frame 10. The spring 60 biases the scavenging lever for rotation in a clockwise direction about the pivot 56'.

A pivot 64 is secured to the frame 10 adjacent the upper right hand corner thereof. A pressure plate 66 has its right hand end secured to and rotatable about the pivot 64. A spring 68 encircles the pivot 64 and bears against the under side of the top flange on the pressure plate 66 and also bears against a screw 72 which is secured to the :frame 10. The plate 66 has an arcuate slot 70 therein and that slot telescopes over the screw 72. I

A pivot 73 is mounted on the left hand end of the pressure plate 66, and that pivot receives the upper end of a push rod 74-. This push rod is elongated and 67F tends downwardly into close proximity to the scavenging lever 58. The lower end of the push rod 74 is in register with the scavenging lever 58, and downward movement of the push rod 74 will cause counter clockwise rotation of the scavenging lever 58 about the pivot 56. A guiding lug 76 is formed on the frame 10, and that guiding lug coacts with the housing 105 for the permanent magnet 106 to confine the push rod 74 to a reciprocating path of movement. A cam surface 78 is formed on the push rod 74, and that push rod can move the cam surface 78 relative to a cam follower 86. The cam follower 86 is in the form of a roller which is supported by an elongated pivot 88. The pivot 88 is secured to and moves with a lever 84, and the lever 84 pivots about an car 82 on the pivot bracket 80. A rivet 83 extends through the lever 84 and secures that lever to the ear 82. The right hand end of the lever 84 overlies the movable wall 16 at a point above the pivot 14. As a result, downward movement of the push rod 74 will cause the lever 84 to rotate about the rivet 83 and rotate the bottom of the movable wall 16 outwardly and away from the frame 10. The push rod 74 will successively rotate the scavenging lever 58 through the space between the permanent magnet 32 and the frame 10 to dislodge any coins which may be held therebetween. The push rod 74 will move downwardly whenever the pressure plate 66 is moved downwardly around the pivot 64.

A pivot pin is mounted on the frame 10, and that pin rotatively supports a gate 92. A spring 93 encircles the pin 90 and urges the gate 92 into parallel relation with the frame 10. However, that spring will yield to permit the gate 92 to rotate away from. the frame 10 around the pivot pin 90. The gate 92 has an outwardly flared portion 94 at the upper end thereof and that outwardly flared portion provides a natural entrance for coins. A camming surface 96 is provided on the gate 92 and that camming surface is directed outwardly at a sharper angle than the flared portion 94. A pin 97 carried by the pressure plate 66 extends through a slot in the frame 10 and that pin bears against the camming surface 96 of the gate 92. The pin 97 will respond to downward movement of the pressure plate 66 to force the gate 92 outwardly and away from the frame 10.

The gate 92 has an inclined directing surface at the bottom thereof, and that inclined directing surface is disposed below the flared portion 94. The flared portion, the gate 92, and the inclined directing portion 98 will guide coins which are introduced into the coin separator in their downward movement. A cradle, not shown, will be mounted on the right hand side of the gate 92 in Fig. 2. That cradle will be of the type shown and described in Fry et a1. Patent No. 2,292,628 which issued August 11, 1942. That cradle has lugs which extend into the space between the gate 92 and the frame 10 to intercept coins which are larger than the coins intended to fall to and be held by the runway 22. For example, those lugs may l interceptand hold quarter's where the runwayis to receive coinsthat are smaller in diameter than quarters. That cradle will respond to properly weighted and sized coins and direct them to a runway, not shown, which will cause those coins to move past the permanent magnet 106 in housing 1415. If those coins have the desired electrical conductivity, those coins will then fall toward an accepted coin chute notshown.

Smaller coins, such as the coins which are intended to be received and held by the runway 22, will pass freely between the lugs on said cradle. All such coins will drop downwardly until they strike the inclined surface 98 and will then be directed through an opening .100 in the frame It) to the coin passageway defined by the frame and the movable wall 16. The course of such a coin is indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 2. If the coin is not oversized it willpass between the projection 19 and the right hand fi ange of the frame 10 and engage the feeler pin 28, but if that coin is oversized, it will be held against further downward movement by the projection 19 and the flange of the frame 10. A coin which is so held can be freed for movement to the rejected coin chute 52 by pressing the pressure plate d6 downwardly. The pressure plate 66 .will move. the push rod 74 downwardly and cause the cam plate .78 to act upon the cam follower 86 and rotate leverfi l until the movable wall 16 is spaced outwardly from the frame 10. This outward movement of the movable wall 16 will free any coinfheld by the projection 19 and the right hand flange of the frame 10 to fall directly downwardly into the rejected coin chute 52.

The coins which are not oversized will continue to move downwardly past the feeler pin 28 if they are of the correct weight. Such. coins will be able, because of their weight, to deform the elongated spring 26 and move the feeler pin out of thepassageway defined by the frame 10 and the movable wall 16. If the coin is too light in weight, it will be unableto move the feeler pin 23 out of that passageway, and that feeler pin willhalt further downward movement of that coin. Any such coin can be freed for movement to the rejected coin chute 52 by downward movement of the pressure member 66. Such movement of that pressure member will cause the movable wall 16 to move away from the frame 10 and permit the coin to slip past the feeler pin 28 which moves with the movable wall 16 and fall directly into the rejected coin chute. If the coin has an opening therethrough or if it has a pronounced surface deformation, the feeler pin 28 will hold that coin. Thus the feeler pin tests the coins for weight and for surface holes or deformation.

The feeler pin also coacts with the opening 54 to test coins for insufiicient size. If a coin is heavy enough to move the feeler pin 28 out of the passage between the movable wall 16 and the frame 1%, but is small enough thatits bottom cannot rest on the runway 22 while its top rests against the top edge of the opening 54, the feeler p n will respond to the action of the spring 26 to push-thatcorn through the opening 54. The path of such a coin is indicated by the right hand dashed line in Fig. 2. The com will then fall directly to the secondary rejected coin chute 53 at the rear of the frame 10. If the coin has the correct diameter, it will be held by the runway 22 and by the frame 10 and will start to roll under the influence of gravity down along the surface of the runway 22. This coin will have been tested in several ways before it reaches the runway 22 and if it was oversized, if it was underweight, if-it was undersized or if it was any combination of these, it would have been directed to the auxiliary rejected coin chute 53 or it would have been held against further downward movement.

The coins which pass these initial tests and start rolling along the runway 22 experience additional tests such as the number of teeth at their peripheries, the size and configuration of such teeth, the thickness of such coins, and the electrical conductivity of those coins. If a coin does not have teeth at its peripheries, it will ride on the points of 'the teeth on runway 22 and-willbe held *far enough above the pitch line of those teeth that'it will-strike and be held by the right hand end of the scavenging lever 58. If the coin is too thick, it will not enter the narrow passageway between the magnet 32 and the frame10. If the coin does not have the correct number of teeth, if'it does not have the correct size and configuration of teeth, and if it does not have the required electrical conductivity, it will either not roll along the runway-22at all-or it will roll along the runway 22 at a rate of speed which will cause it to fall to the right of the separator which has the stationary part 38 and the movable part 40. All such coins will be directed by the stationary 'part 38 of that separator toward the rejected coin chute52.

The inclination of the runway 22 and the strength of-the magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet 32 are so interrelated that coins which have the proper number of teeth, which have the proper size and configuration of teeth, and the required electrical conductivity will'pass through that magnetic field with a speed sufficient to cause the coin to pass to the'left of the separator which has the stationary part 38 and the movable part 40. If the coin has a greater electrical conductivity than desired, that coin will create such eddy currents that its rate of travel will be retarded to the point where it falls to the right of said separator. If the electrical conductivity of the coin is too low, its rate of movement will be retarded so little that it will strike the stop 101 and rebound to the right hand side of the separator and be directed to the rejected coin chute 52. If the coin has the wrong number of teeth or if it has teeth of the wrong size andv configuration, the coin will be slowed down as it moves along the runway 22. This slowing down will be due to the fact that the teeth on the coin will not properly mesh with the teeth on the runway 22, and will instead have to. slip and slide somewhat to register with the teeth on that runway. This slipping and sliding will retard the rateof movement of the coin to a value insufficient to enable that coin to pass to the left of said separator. Consequently, such coins will fall to the right hand side of the movable part 4d of the separator and will be directed by the Sta tionary part 38 of that separator to the rejected coin chute 52. Of course, if the number of teeth and if the size and configuration of the teeth on a coin are somuch at variance with the number of teeth and the sizeand configuration of the teeth on an acceptable coin that the coin cannot move downwardly along the runway 22 under the action of gravity, the coin cannot reach the accepted coin chute 50.

The coin 104 illustrates a coin which will be accepted by the coin separator of the present invention. The coin 164 is chamfered adjacent its periphery to keep the edges of its teeth from striking and being held by the upper edge of the opening 54, as the coin 104 rolls along the runway 22.

If any coin lodges against the right hand end of the scavenging lever 58 or lodges against the magnet 32 or is held immobile on the runway 22, that coin can be directed toward the rejected coin chute 52 by downward movement of the pressure member 66. Such downward movement will cause the push rod 74 to move downwardly and cam the movable wall 16 away from the frame 10 and also rotate the scavenging lever 58 in ,a counter-clockwise direction. The movement of the movable wall 16 and the rotation of the scavenging'lever 58 wall cause any such coin to fall downwardly into the re-- jected coin chute.

The coin separator provided by the present invention can separate coins that are in general circulation from coins which have teeth or serrations at their peripheries. In addition, that coin separator can discriminate between; coins that have teeth or serrations at their peripheries; that coin separator doing so by reason of differences in the weights, diameters, thickness, electrical conductivities,

7 surface formations, number of teeth, and the size and shape of the teeth on such coins.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present, invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without afiecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a coin that has an unyielding, toothed periphery and a coin separator that regulates the speed of coins passing through it and that separates acceptable from unacceptable coins in accordance with the speeds of said coins and that comprises a passageway for coins, an elongated runway that supports said coins as they move through said passageway, said runway being inclined to provide gravity-induced rolling of said coins along said runway, an accepted coin chute that is below the level of and is horizontally spaced wholly beyond the lower end of said runway, said runway being generally directed toward said accepted coin chute so an acceptable toothed coin rolling off said lower end of said runway at a predetermined rate of speed will move freely toward said accepted coin chute and will move horizontally beyond said lower end of said runway and enter said accepted coin chute, a rejected coin chute that is below the level of and that underlies said lower end of said runway and that has its far end horizontally spaced a short distance beyond said lower end of said runway so a coin rolling 01f said lower end of said runway at a speed appreciably lower than said predetermined speed can fall into said rejected coin chute, and a source of magnetic flux lines adjacent said runway that directs a concentrated magnetic field into said passageway and into the path of a coin rolling along said runway, said runway having a toothed upper surface that extends to said lower end of said runway, the teeth of said toothed upper surface of said runway being of substantially the same configuration and being spaced apart substantially equal distances and being complementary to the teeth at the periphery of said acceptable toothed coin, said toothed upper surface of said runway coacting with the peripheral configuration of a toothed coin rolling along said runway to provide a retardation in the speed of said toothed coin and said concentrated magnetic field from said source of magnetic flux lines coacting with the electrical conductivity of said toothed coin to provide a retardation in the speed of said toothed coin, said source of magnetic flux lines being adjacent said lower end of said runway whereby said toothed coin begins its free fall in said concentrated magnetic field, said retardation in speed provided by said toothed upper surface on said runway coacting with said retardation in speed provided by said concentrated magnetic field to cause an acceptable toothed coin rolling off said lower end of said runway to be retarded to said predetermined speed and thereby enter said accepted coin chute and to cause unacceptable coins rolling off said lower end of said runway to be retarded to said appreciably lower speeds and thereby fall into said rejected coin chute.

2. The combination of a coin that has an unyielding, toothed periphery and a coin separator that regulates the speed of coins passing through it and that separates acceptable from unacceptable coins in accordance with the speeds of said coins and that comprises a passageway for coins, an elongated downwardly inclined runway that supports a coin as it moves through a portion of said runway, an accepted coin chute that is below the level of and is spaced horizontally beyond the lower end of said runway, said runway being generally directed toward said accepted coin chute so an acceptable toothed coin rolling off said lower end of said runway at a predetermined rate of speed will move freely toward said accepted coin chute and will move beyond said lower end of said runway and enter said accepted coin chute, a rejected coin chute that is below the level of and that in part underlies said lower end of said runway and that has a portion thereof extending horizontally beyond said lower end of said runway so coins rolling off said lower end of said runway at speeds appreciably lower than said predetermined speed can fall into said rejected coin chute, and a source of magnetic flux lines adjacent said runway that directs a concentrated magnetic field into said passageway and into the path of a coin rolling along said runway, said runway having a toothed upper surface that terminates adjacent said lower end of said runway, the teeth of said toothed upper surface of said runway being spaced apart substantially equal distances and being complementary to the teeth at the periphery of said acceptable toothed coin, said toothed upper surface of said runway coacting with the peripheral configuration of a toothed coin rolling along said runway to provide a retardation in the speed of said toothed coin and said concentrated magnetic field from said source of magnetic flux lines coacting with the electrical conductivity of said toothed coin to provide a retardation in the speed of said toothed coin, said retardation in speed provided by said toothed upper surface on said runway coacting with said retardation in speed provided by said concentrated magnetic field to cause an acceptable toothed coin rolling off said lower end of said runway to be retarded to said predetermined speed and thereby enter said accepted coin chute and to cause unacceptable coins rolling off said lower end of said runway to be retarded to said appreciably lower speeds and thereby fall into said rejected coin chute, said source of magnetic flux lines being adjacent said lower end of said runway whereby said retardation provided by said toothed upper surface of said runway is the initial retardation in speed of coins and said retardation provided by said concentrated magnetic field is the final retardation in speed of coins and whereby coins begin their free fall in said concentrated magnetic field.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,349 Buck Oct. 4, 1904 912,591 Mendelsohn Feb. 16, 1909 1,730,399 Giles Oct. 1, 1929 1,784,249 Norton Dec. 9, 1930 2,057,737 Patzer Oct. 20, 1936 2,374,007 Fry Apr. 17, 1945 2,446,510 Hokanson Aug. 3, 1948 2,569,603 Gottfried Oct. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 242,493 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1925 321,842 Great Britain Nov. 21, 1929 603,601 Great Britain June 18, 1948 386,844 Germany Dec. 20, 1923 

